


You Can't Make Homes Out Of People (Somebody Should Have Told You That Already)

by MalachiWalker



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Abuse of shapeshifting for emotional masochism, Catra takes her self-loathing to its logical extreme, Double Trouble's just trying their best, F/F, Hurt No Comfort, I would say "sorry not sorry" but that'd be a lie, No one can hate Catra more than she hates herself, S4 opener compliant, Super unhealthy coping mechanisms, That's Just Canon, Weaponized negative reinforcement
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 13:28:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21137459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MalachiWalker/pseuds/MalachiWalker
Summary: "I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me you hate me."Or Double Trouble is professionally invested in making sure the new boss is composed and ready for the big attack on the Rebellion. But when they approach the subject, they get way more than they bargained for.





	You Can't Make Homes Out Of People (Somebody Should Have Told You That Already)

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah. You can blame this crack-tastic fanart by Fujifingerz on tumblr for initially sparking this idea... And then blame my fucked-up brain for taking it in the exact opposite direction and making it hurt. Don't worry, I hate myself too.  
(A/N: Ok, for some reason the link is immediately being replaced with a nofollow command every time I try to save it. Still, if you pop over to their tumblr you'll know which one I'm talking about.)
> 
> Also, I had to necessarily make some speculation on Double Trouble's personality since we haven't seen them in action yet. With any luck I got some of it right.

It was the morning of the first major Horde offensive against the Rebellion since the disaster with the portal and Catra's forced ascension to co-ruler of the Horde. Everyone was on edge, naturally; even though Catra's skill and efficiency as an overall commander (at least one not bogged down with _paperwork)_ had already been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt... It was still bigger than anything the Horde had attempted for years.  
  
But hey, go big or go home, right?  
  
Not that it mattered to Double Trouble either way. Like yeah, the side they were on winning was always a good thing, but they ultimately weren't under the employ of the Horde. Their allegiance was solely to their new boss, Catra.  
  
And right now, the new boss was agitated as _fuck._  
  
Of course, she wasn't doing it in a place where anyone might see her. Catra was smart; she knew that no matter how solid a battle strategy was, half of the game was a confidence ploy. If you couldn't get your troops motivated and confident on the battlefield... Well, Hordak's lackluster leadership had already shown what happened _then._  
  
So instead, Catra paced back and forth in the empty throne room, guards posted at the door, muttering furiously under her breath and flexing her claws in and out while she threatened to wear a hole in the carpet. It was about as private as her life got these days, but Double Trouble wouldn't be an effective bodyguard if they didn't stick close to their employer, so after checking the perimeter again to make sure Hordak's creepy little man-baby thing wasn't around, they sat down on the steps leading up to the throne and finally asked the question. "Something got you worked up, boss?"  
  
Catra actually _jumped,_ eyes snapping to the side to stare at her bodyguard. "Oh, it's you. So what if I am?"  
  
_Why do you want to know?_ was the unspoken thought hanging in the air.  
  
Double Trouble just shrugged. "Sure, it doesn't really matter in the long run. It just makes my job easier when my boss isn't preoccupied with outside concerns when she's about to launch a major offensive."  
  
"So am I just supposed to expect that you'll what? Listen to me and not use that to your advantage? You're in the Horde now, it's kinda our thing."  
  
"Yeah, no," They answered with a casual smile. "I don't give a shit about the Horde. My only loyalty is to my current employer. All that morality and right vs wrong stuff doesn't mean a thing to me. So I just wanna check again; anything I can do?"  
  
They fully expected Catra to snarl and turn away. From what they'd seen so far, that was wholly within the realm of possibility. The new boss didn't like feeling weak, hating anything that reminded her of things like feelings or old scars.  
  
But they didn't expect Catra stopping dead in her tracks midway through another circuit, ears pricking forward with alertness.  
  
"You can change shape into anyone you've seen before, right?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"So, purely hypothetically speaking," Catra paused and ran a hand through her newly straightened locks. "Could you turn into Adora?"  
  
"Hypothetically speaking, sure. I've only seen her at the prom once, but it was good enough," Double Trouble paused and rubbed at the back of their neck, not sure about where this was going. They'd overheard more than enough about that minefield while disguised amongst the cadets. "Uh, forgive me for asking boss, but... This isn't gonna get weird is it?"  
  
Thankfully, Catra seemed to catch on to the implication in their words. "What? No. _Fuck_ no. Even if you were okay with that, even if I _wanted_ that... you wouldn't be _her."_  
  
"All right..." They said slowly, one brow cocked. So much for that guess. "So why do you want me to shift then? I mean, if you wanna spar as prep for the battle, I didn't get to watch enough of that to convincingly replicate her, so I doubt it'd help much."  
  
"No. I don't need you to do that."  
  
"So what _do_ you need?"  
  
Catra sighed, looking away. "Shift first, then I'll tell you."  
  
"All right," Double Trouble rose to their feet, letting the change slip over them until they were in Adora's form, albeit dressed in the same clothes she had worn to the prom. "Does it pass muster, _Lord_ Catra?"  
  
Catra ignored the cheeky jab, circling around them and taking in every detail. "Not bad. Eyes are still your own, but you've got everything else down."  
  
"Attention to detail is just one of my many skills," They winked and shot a finger gun at her, almost forgetting themselves before Catra shot them a warning look. "So what do you want me to do?"  
  
Catra was silent for a long moment, seemingly fighting against her own feelings. She finally managed to force them down, breathing deeply once before turning to face her bodyguard head on.  
  
"I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me you hate me."  
  
If they had been in their natural form, Double Trouble's ears would have shot straight up. As it was, their eyes widened instead. "Boss..."  
  
"Just... Listen, ok?" Catra snarled, clawing at her hair again in frustration as she resumed pacing. "When we take the field today, I can't afford to be distracted. Not by my feelings, not by my thoughts. Not by _anything."_  
  
_Not by her._ Who could have known that unspoken words could still carry an echo?  
  
_This is so fucked up._ Double Trouble thought. But the point still stood: their allegiance was purely to their employer. And if Catra needed a "dress rehearsal" to do her job properly... Well, they could provide.  
  
So, reaching out with Adora's fingertips, they tapped her on the shoulder until Catra stopped and looked at them expectantly, hands in her pockets and a scowl on her face. Only the way her tail curled around one leg gave anything away.  
  
Schooling their face into the closest approximation they could manage of Adora's glare, Double Trouble gave their employer exactly what she needed.  
  
"I hate you."  
  
Catra, though she tried her best, couldn't hide the shudder that went through her whole body at the words. She closed her eyes, turned away and breathing as deep and as long as she could.  
  
The scent of blood suffused the air, as her claws dug ruthlessly into her palms.  
  
And when she turned back to face her bodyguard, her eyes burned. With cold determination, yes. But not entirely.

No, not entirely.  
  
"Ok," She said, voice steady. "Let's get out there and crush them."  
  
And as for Double Trouble, well...  
  
There was a reason why they were the best in the business. So they shifted back into their own form, and followed Catra's retreating back out of the throne room.


End file.
